A recent article that appeared in the New York Times on January 27 profiled the competitive nature and hefty price tag that comes with attending a private school in the city. Authors Jenny Anderson and Rachel Ohm write, “Indeed, this year’s tuition at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory ($38,305 for 12^th grade) and Horace Mann ($37,275 for the upper school) is higher than Harvard’s.”

According to the article these numbers, which are derived from 41 out of the 61 New York City private schools within the national association and provide enough date for a 10-year analysis, are set to rise in order to match the rate of inflation, the ever-growing cost of living and teachers’ salaries—even though the amount of financial aid dolled out to students will remain the same.

The cost of attending one of the city’s private schools has surprisingly left the rising amount of applicants undeterred. “For many parents, the sticker prices have ceased to shock,” the article states.

There may be a simple savior lurking in the suburbs to north, however. Westchester Magazine just released its issue on the county’s public schools, which includes a high school data chart. According to the numbers, Westchester isn’t just a great place to live but is a great place to receive an education, as well. 

Of the 46 public high schools in Westchester, 32 provided data to the magazine. When looking at those 32 schools’ average class size, a single teacher instructs about 23 students at a time.

Students within these schools exercised an inherent willingness to learn outside of the classroom. 67 percent participated in nonathletic extracurricular activities, while 54 percent got things moving on a court, field, floor, etc.

When examining academics on a broader scale, the 4-year graduation rate for these 32 schools collectively was 90 percent—which does not account for students who do graduate after a period of 4 years.

Finally, 93 percent of students who graduated went on to further their education at college, which includes both 2- and 4- year schools.

Undoubtedly one’s educational path cannot be measured in a private versus public school mentality—ultimately it comes down to the personal needs of a student. However, Westchester Magazine proved the county in general contains excellent schools, where students have the opportunity to excel in academics and extracurricular activities. This month’s issue also contains wonderful profiles about educators, school officials and students, all of which help to comprise such a great place to live.